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Kagamine Rin
Kagamine Rin & Len (鏡音リン ・レン) is the second product released on December 27, 2007, they are Vocaloid2 Character Vocal Series developed by Crypton Future Media Ltd. (CFM), male voice (Len) and female voice (Rin). Their family name was from the developing code combining Kagami (鏡, mirror) and Ne (音, sound). History Crypton Future Media intended to project a Vocaloid with low-teen girl's voice at first following Miku Hatsune, but there was a demand for a boy's voice, so Crypton Future Media hired a voice actress who can produce both sounds. Kagamine Rin was the first voicebank developed and introduced to the Vocaloid consumer market.link However, the package included two voicebanks: one for Rin and another for Len, both provided by the seiyū Asami Shimoda (下田 麻美 Shimoda Asami), Kagamine Len was unveiled later after Kagamine Rin. The package was priced at the same price as Miku Hatsune, even though there was two voicebanks in the box.http://www.artsvision.co.jp/data.php?id=1007 Official Profile Asami Shimodahttp://yaplog.jp/asaponmax/ Asami Shimoda's Blog At the time of recording in 2007, their names had not yet been decided. Their given names of Rin and Len were said to be based on "right" and "left" according to Asami Shimoda. She later confirmed in a interview after the Append release, the name itself was based on the names of Ken and Rin from Hokuto no Ken, the names were derived from a discussion about names that were familiar from her childhood. According to Asami Shimoda, Len's voice was achieved by singing within her chest, while Rin's at the top of her head. "VOCALOID MANIACS","DTM magazine"15（1）（No.165, 2008.1, Published by Terashima Jouhou Kikaku, P26http://weekly.ascii.jp/elem/000/000/030/30337/ Weekly Plus - VOCALOID『鏡音リン・レンAppend』発売記念インタビュー第2弾は声優の下田麻美さん♪ (Len Append, interview with Shimoda Asami) Act 2 On June 12, 2008, Crypton announced that the updated edition, named "Act2", would be released in early July 2008. Users who had bought the old version got an expansion disc free of charge. On June 18, 2008, beta demonstration songs using the new version were released on the company's official blog. On July 18, 2008, act2 was released. The new version was released to address issues with the original voicebanks that affected their ability to sing clearly. It acted as an independent installation, coexisting with the initial software. The original version of the software is now retired from sale by Crypton Future Media themselves and it is now no longer possible to buy the software from them.http://www.crypton.co.jp/mp/do/prod?id=30121 Crypton Rin/Len Kagamine act2http://richier.jugem.jp/?eid=343 Richier - Hatsune Miku Note May 29, 2008http://www31.atwiki.jp/nicogosanke/pages/24.html Nico Nico Gosanke Wiki: Rin Kagamine Append - the Future of Rin/Len After Miku Append began, Rin and Len (鏡音リン・レン・アペンド) were confirmed to have appends being worked on. Len Append was in the process of production first and demos of his voice were given out; (high voice demo), (low voice demo). The append was officially released on December 27, 2010. The total number of voicebanks for each one is 6. There are 3 voicebanks being assigned to each Kagamine and had been created from vocal performance of their voice providers.http://vocaloid.wikia.com/wiki/Vocaloid_on_Twitter#Append_-_the_Future_of_Kaito Tweets - 8:50 PM Apr 12th, 2011. Sample demo songs have been given out on Crypton's official page and their official Youtube channel online. Rin's appends are "power", "warm", and "sweet". Len's appends are "power", "cold", and "serious".twitterhttp://www.crypton.co.jp/mp/pages/prod/vocaloid/cv02a.jsp Crypton - Rin and Len Append Their Append outsold the Miku Append during the period after their release.http://vocaloid.blog120.fc2.com/blog-date-20110209.html Vocaloid Blog - クリプトン社発売のソフト音源についての2011年1月のトップセラー！ (Top of the January 2011 release of the software's sound on Crypton!)http://vocaloid.blog120.fc2.com/blog-entry-7744.html Vocaloid Blog - クリプトン社発売のソフト音源についての2010年12月のトップセラー！ (Top of the December 2010 release of the software's source for Crypton?) However, they did not maintain this, in June 2011, their Append had fallen to 8th place, one below Kaito's vocaloid voicebank. Marketing As they were under development, Crypton had the concept of making a pair of male and female voicebanks. The first idea of the concept was twin voices of a girl and her mirror image of opposite gender, just like twins. http://closeup-nettube.livedoor.biz/archives/809677.html CloseUp NetTube - 鏡音リン・レン特集１・発売元インタビュー (Interview with Crypton "How Rin and Len Kagamine were created") CFM had an intention to distribute them as twins, but this was not adopted either. After seeing many works that depict their relationships differently, Crypton announced on a magazine interview that those would meet their ideal. Crypton did not decide to announce they are neither siblings nor lovers, as they did not want to tie down each user's free creative activities. Nikkei Electronics (973) Mar.10,2008,126-127, ISSN 0385-1680 "VOCALOID wo Tanoshimou Vol.2" published by Yamaha Music Media,2009, Page 47, ISBN 978-4-636-84438-2 KEI was given the concept Crypton intended, their approximate ages, an image of mirror, and an image of androids, but was not given any other directions when he was asked to illustrate Rin and Len by Crypton, as Kei had already illustrated Miku before. Rin was the first one to be illustrated and Len was made to match her, following Crypton's concept. Their leg parts are designed to mimic speakers.http://www.p-tina.net/interview/98 P-Tina - Interview(s) with Crypton and KEIVocaloidOtaku - Our Favorite VOCALOIDS: Interview with KEI Their Append design and the Official Illustration of those ones were made by オサム (osamu) . Goodsmile Racing thumb|left|The team MOLA Nissan 3502 car with the Kagamine's printed on them Team MOLA, using a Nissan 350Z, and they received sponsors on the final race in Fuji in the 2008 season. Images of Kagamine Rin and Len was added on their original colorings. The Fuji round, in fact, is the first FIA race to feature two unique itasha cars competing in a single race. Figurines thumb|right|Len and Rin figma figures The Kagamines have had several figurines made for them. Some are based on one and not the other, other times they have had a model each but were released seperately and on some occasions together. Kagamine Rin has slightly more figurines than Kagamine Len. As well as having a standard Figma and Nendoroid figurine each, Rin has had a figurine based on the "Meltdown" PV. She has also appeared alongside Miku and Luka in the Good smile racing figurine promotions during the 2009 and 2010 seasons although has not appeared since in such a promotion. When the first Pullip Dolls were released, both Rin and Len were released alongside Miku, their were based on the same body model as each other. In the Summer Wonderfest 2011, a scale 1/7 cast GK Kagamine Rin Append figurine was also produced.link *''For more Figurines see Template:Nav Figurines'' US Debut The Kagamines appeared in the Los Angeles Mikunopolis concert in July, 2011, along with Hatsune Miku and Megurine Luka. Len preformed 'Butterfly on Your Right Shoulder' (Ft. Rin), and Rin preformed 'Meltdown' in her Hard Rock remix outfit. A rumor says Crypton Future Media is currently selling them as "twins" to the American audience, unlike in Japan where their relationship has never been defined.http://www.vocaloidism.com/2011/05/13/hatsune-miku-live-in-los-angeles/#more-11169 Vocaloidism - Hatsune Miku Live in Los Angeles: Mikunopolis Usage for Music The Vocal Character series were designed to be a set of vocals with particular characteristics about them. For the Kagamines, two Vocaloids with contrasting vocals for a very different result despite having the same voice provider. Since they are based on the same voice provider, both successfully harmonize with each other and therefore are often used in duets together. They each also shared a similar range to their predecessor Miku individually and can be used in together with Miku successfully. Because of the inclusion of both a male a female vocal, together they offered a much wider vocal range then Hatsune Miku did between them and can adopt a varity of roles within music creation. Though they are voiced by the same provider, they have different pronunciations of words. Even by retuning the voice of either Kagamine to sound like the other, results are never identical, and veteran Vocaloid fans can tell who is actually voicing the song. The reason is owed to the fact Len has a lisp-sound in his singing results that Rin does not, whereas Rin's pronouncations are sharp in contrast to Len's. *''The Kagamines have songs in the Nico Nico Douga Hall of Fame'' Because they are sold by Crypton, permission is also granted to add their works to Karen-T. Vocaloid 2 Len is the first male of the Vocaloid 2 era and the first male vocaloid able to hit high pitched notes. He lacks the ability to hit the lower notes less than Kaito, since he was produced as a young boy singer. Of the two voicebanks however, Len is often considered more difficult to work with than his counterpart, Rin. http://miku-challenge.seesaa.net/category/4481369-1.html Danchan-P’s Blog - VOCALOID2操作（調教）法(1) A particular noted weakness of Len's voicebank is that he is limited in his capabilities of matching masculine vocal tones, owed to his voice provider being female; he cannot produce a satisfactory low masculine vocal tone.http://www.itmedia.co.jp/news/articles/1104/15/news084.html ITMedia News - コードネームは「勇馬」　ヤマハ純正のイケメンボカロ「VY2」の話を聞いてきた In terms of realism, however, like Miku before them their results are not that realistic in comparison to Vocaloid 2 era voicebanks that followed them. The focus of their voicebanks entirely on the vocal performances rather then the singing results. The Kagamine software may occasionally have an installation error when installed, this is related to their engine version and may show up when installing them over a more updated Vocaloid 2 like Gachapoid or Lily. Help can be found within the fandom on fixing this. This can be fixed very easily, however, if a newer Vocaloid installed after their installation, otherwise re-installation in release order is another solution. Crypton Future Media have no plans to update their Vocaloid 2 engine Vocaloids to Vocaloid3.link Originally Rin/Len Kagamine were regarded as a product for experienced users. Unlike Miku, they were not easy to utilize for beginners and were criticized that some voices in the original voicebanks were not clear and had pronunciation problems of the Japanese language. Their vowel sounds are choppy and overall lacked smoothness with a number of vowel related sounds being absent. *''Comparison between the Vocaloid and voice provider'' Act 2 Act 2 was released to solve the Kagamine's pronunciation problems. http://www.dtmm.co.jp/archives/2008/05/cv02_act2_1.html DTM Magazine - CV02 鏡音リン・レンACT2 (CV02 Kagamine Rin/Len ACT2)http://www.amazon.co.jp/クリプトン・フューチャー・メディア-CV02V2-VOCALOID2-鏡音リン・レン-act2/dp/B001BIXLOC Amazon/jp - Rin/Len Kagamine Act 2 is a separate installation. For users with both versions, they have a choice between four voicebanks overall: the newer voicebanks or the older voicebanks both with slightly different results. For having clearer pronunciations and milder voices, Act 2 can sing smoother without skilled pre-settings and advanced editing for beginners. However, it is less vivid and flexible and does not allow delicate settings or editing which gives a wider range of expression to experienced users. Users that own both versions enjoy choosing them in accordance with the intended use as each version has different features, just like having four different voicebanks; comparison of Act 1 and Act 2 edited in the same way:External links - Toraborutei Blog and VTTC for Kagamine Act 1 and Act 2 *(Rin Act1, Rin Act2), (Len Act1, Len Act2) Act 2 also presents a new set of problems. They cannot pronounce the h\ phonetic data and are missing other phonetic pronunciations in addition to what was missing from their original software release. Despite improvements, the remaining missing data still makes the Act 2 voicebanks sound choppy in comparison to other Vocaloid voicebanks.VocaloidOtaku - How much did they actually "improve" ACT2?VocaloidOtaku - Japanese Vocaloids Comparative Charts and Tips Append Like Miku, their Append adds a further 6 voicebanks on top of the original voicebanks, bringing the grand total of Voicebanks sold for the Kagamines to a total of 10, the most of any Vocaloid. Their Append was done differently to Miku's in that the 6 voicebanks were split up and 3 recorded in two different scales for each Kagamine accordingly. This also means there are 5 voicebanks for both Rin and Len each if you include past versions, although most will ultimately have access to only 4 for each of the Kagamines due to the original voicebanks removal from sale. Len is also currently the only male with Appends assigned to him. ;The Appends are as follows *Rin:Power (Optimum genre:Rocks/Pops/Dance musics/Enka, Optimum Tempo:65~170BPM, Optimum Range:F#3 ~ B#4) Youtube broadcast Rin Append "Power" (+Warm) *Rin:Warm (Optimum genre:Soft rocks/Ballades/Pops/Folks, Optimum Tempo:60~160BPM, Optimum Range:F#3 ~ B#4) Youtube broadcast Rin Append "Warm" *Rin:Sweet (Optimum genre:Bossa Nova/French Pops/Ambient music/Electronica, Optimum Tempo:55~155BPM, Optimum Range:G#3 ~ C#5) Youtube broadcast Rin Append "Sweet" *Len:Power (Optimum genre:Rocks/Pops/Dance musics/Enka, Optimum Tempo:65~170BPM, Optimum Range:A#2 ~ D#4) Youtube broadcast Len Append "Power" *Len:Cold (Optimum genre:Soft rocks/Ballades/Pops/Folks, Optimum Tempo:65~160BPM, Optimum Range:B#2 ~ C#4) Youtube broadcast Len Append "Cold" *Len:Serious (Optimum genre:Post Rocks/Phsyke/Ambient music/Ambient dub/Electronica, Optimum Tempo:55~155BPM, Optimum Range:A#2 ~ C#4) Youtube broadcast Len Append "Serious" There is some debate as to if Appends are really needed. While they make it easier to find the right tone for a song, it is possible to recreate similar results to the Append tones without actually buying the software with just the basic voicebanks. There is, however, some pronunciation differences between the voicebanks as each Append uses its own set of vocal samples. For those that lack editing skills, Appends are a useful tool for adding these tones to a song. For those who are familar with the vocals, they offer a way of expanding the Vocaloid's capabilities by offering new vocal ranges and possibilities.VocaloidOtaku - Feedback please! (Kagamine Append voicebanks) The Append release also gave older Kagamine users the chance to update the Vocaloid2 engine to a newer version, as the Append had the latest engine version. Users also need the Act2 voicebanks to be able to install and use the Append voicebanks. There are differences in the 6 Append voicebanks in terms of performance and some are more smoother then others, the Appends themselves were overall much smoother and of a higher quality than the original voicebanks. Notable Kagamine songs Reception *Google Trends Kagamine Rin and Kagamine Len thumb|right|The Kagamine's package in 2nd place, 12/10/2011, this is the usual place they hold in the top ten Crypton products list.'' Note; Meiko and the Kagamine append were missing from the list'' They were slow to gain popularity in the Japanese fandom after the backlash of their original voicebanks and although they have 2nd highest number of songs combined, they are not as popular as Hatsune Miku who came before them. In the Japanese fandom, Rin is the more popular of the two Vocaloids with more related works than her counterpart Len. Part of the problem in the Japanese fandom was owed to the backlash of Kaito's failure, male voicebanks had so little demand at that time and Len's voicebank was left as the only male Vocaloid 2 vocal until Gakupo's release, and was not used as often as Rin's voicebank.http://internet.watch.impress.co.jp/cda/president/2008/05/12/19477.html INTERNET Watch - クリプトン・フューチャー・メディア社長 伊藤博之氏（前編） (Crypton Future Media president Hiroyuki Itō (part one)However, Len is the most popular of the two amongst western Vocaloid fans for his "shota" voice. Together they have a larger fan following than Hatsune Miku, although neither alone do not overcome her popularity. There is also no experience with the downfall of their difficult voicebanks and their popularity is unaffected by the hard to hear pronunciations or any association with the lack of demand for a male vocal. However, despite their popularity some negative results have occurred over time. The single most discussed item in the Western fandom (after songs) is the relationship between the two Kagamine's, aimed at if they should be viewed as twins, lovers, etc. It is also regarded as amongst the most annoying discussions that any fan can bring up on Youtube, often clogging up Youtube videos with meaningless arguments, with many fans failing to acknowledge that their relationship is open to fan interpretation. Len fans are also labeled amongst the most scary Vocaloid fans on Youtube within Vocaloid fan communities owed to the obsessive and "disturbing" nature often displayed by some Youtube comments.VocaloidOtaku - Why is everyone so against the kagamines as a coupleVocaloidOtaku - Things that annoy you about Vocaloid fandom There are some complaints towards the Vocaloids within the Japanese fandom on how they sound. Some say Rin's voice echoes within their head and makes them feel dizzy, while Len's high vocals do not appeal to those not fond of the pair.http://weekly.ascii.jp/elem/000/000/030/30337/ ASCII - VOCALOID『鏡音リン・レンAppend』発売記念インタビュー第2弾は声優の下田麻美さん♪ Append The Appends for the Kagamine Vocaloids were better received than the Miku Append, though they did not sell as well overall as the Miku Append and did not remain in the top ten Crypton Future Media software rankings. The Vocals themselves were considered an improvement over the original voicebanks, although some minor thoughts expressed within the Western fandom did note one or two of the vocals sounded too close to existing voicebanks the Kagamine's already had. The boxart was considered "beautiful" compared to the Miku append and the designs suited the Vocaloids more. There was less of an issue with oversexualisation, which the Miku Append faced. Some complaints however from the western fandom called their design less adventurous than the Miku Append's design and although it was pretty to look at, it was also too close in concept to the original design for the Kagamines. At the time a speculation amongst the fans was that it was because the Miku Append design had too much negativity, although this has never been confirmed or denied. Trivia *In Zoku Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei a pair of Len and Rin look a likes are seen in the waiting queue during the auditions of the role of Meru Meru, however they do not have the Kagamine's known colors.http://hidekyan.cocolog-nifty.com/movie/rinren.wmv Hidekyan Blog - (requires WindowsMediaPlayer) *In the anime Maria†Holic Rin and Miku appear on a scene on episode 12. youtube *It took 25 hours (4 hours a day) to record all the Kagamine Appends.http://weekly.ascii.jp/elem/000/000/030/30337/ Weekly Plus - VOCALOID『鏡音リン・レンAppend』発売記念インタビュー第2弾は声優の下田麻美さん♪ (Len Append, interview with Shimoda Asami) *Some call Rin and Len the incorrect names "Lin" and/or "Ren". Though the romanized version of the word could be either, the English version has been confirmed as "Rin and Len" and since there is no dubbed version to content with, the name remain the only official names in existence for the Vocals. This is also backed up by the origins of their names as "R" (Rin)" and "L" (Len). **Note; "L" and "R" mean "Left and Right", they are the letters you find on a set of headphones (and sometimes other equipment such as speakers). Usually there is not enough space to write "left" and "right" on headphones. "L" refers to left ear and "R" is right ear. *On the Mikunopolis website their profile reads the following statement; "The Kagamine twins are well known for their very clear and precise vocals". Considering their history of lack of clarity and/or pronounication problems, as well as Act 2 of the software missing a pronounication entirely, this is a little bit of an exhagguration on the website hosts part. Also the statement "Just with a few tweaks here and there they could sing almost any other genres as well" is also some questionable due to their reputation of requiring previous experience to use and often at times needed more then just a few tweaks to make them work.link *Rin has a G-clef on her shirt, Len has a F-clef on his, in their Append they are found on chokers rather then their shirts. Notable for... *First ever dual voicebanks released *First Vocaloids to be updated *First male (Len) released for Vocaloid 2 *First vocal (Len) released not to be the same gender as the provider *First male (Len) to be Appended Gallery External links * Kagamine fanart DeviantArt / Pixiv Pixiv2 / Piapro Piapro2 *Toraboruta-P’s Blog Entry 1 *Toraboruta-P’s Blog Entry 2 *Toraboruta-P’s Blog Entry 3 *Danchan-P’s Blog 鏡音リン・レン ACT2について、今さら。 *VTTC Vocaloid Training Techniques Collecting: Comparing Act 1 and Act 2 *'MMD model' links and passwords are provided publicly by model producer(s), within video summaries :Loda.jp (Nakao) - (sm12806666) 鏡音リン_n式ver1.04 :NicoVideo (Mqdl) - (sm13010409) 【MMD】リンAppendモデルでリンリンリンってしてくりん (mqdl.jpn.org/public/rinApXSb.zip) :Loda.jp (Dede) - (sm13422693) でで式鏡音レンAPPEND1.0.2 :Loda.jp (Dede) - LenAPPDDv1.1 Category:Vocaloid Category:Vocaloid2 Category:Vocaloid Append Category:Female Vocaloids Category:Female Vocaloids Category:Male Vocaloids Category:Japanese Vocaloids Category:Vocaloid Category:Vocaloid2 Category:Vocaloid Append Category:Female Vocaloids Category:Female Vocaloids Category:Male Vocaloids Category:Japanese Vocaloids